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Sunday, 30 July 2017

EasyJet is "urgently" seeking answers from Nice Airport after one of its passengers holding a baby was apparently punched in the face by a member of staff.

A photograph was circulated online following the alleged attack which occurred while passengers flying to Luton were delayed for several hours at the French airport.

Anna McCrum tweeted: "@easyjet absolute chaos - member of staff just punched a passenger in the face at Nice airport. Waited for 12 hours for this."

Leo Gupta wrote: "After 13 hour delay of an easyJet flight, a Nice Airport employee punches a man with a baby in the face for complaining about the delays."

Arabella Arkwright took the photograph allegedly showing a man in uniform punching a passenger in the queue with his left fist.

"The man with the baby... went over and talked to the Frenchman and the Frenchman didn't reply, he just smiled and smirked and then whacked this guy on the left side of his face," she told BBC Radio 5.

Ms Arkwright said her husband pulled the man off the passenger and "frogmarched" him away before police were alerted.

Both the alleged victim and apparent perpetrator were taken away.

She said fellow passengers demanded the man with the child be allowed to board the flight when it was eventually ready to leave Nice.

"When he arrived on the plane, all the plane clapped him," she added.

An easyJet spokesman said the person in the photograph was not an employee of the budget carrier.

A statement said: "EasyJet is very concerned to see this picture and can confirm the person in the photo is not an easyJet member of staff and they do not work for easyJet's ground handling agents in Nice.

"We are urgently taking this up with Nice Airport and their special assistance provider Samsic, who we understand the person photographed works for."

The airline apologised for the delay to flight EZY2122 because of a "technical issue with the aircraft".

"Passengers were provided with updates and refreshment vouchers during this time and the flight landed in London Luton last night," the airline said.

"The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority.

"EasyJet sincerely apologises for the delay and thanks passengers for their patience."